The Top 10 Antique Categories On eBay

I stumbled on another blog that lists The Top 10 Antique Categories on eBay. It’s not completely clear where this information comes from, but it seems reasonable. Here are the first five — I don’t want to steal his thunder and I wanted to link back to his original post.

10 – Lace and Crochet Trim

9 – Medical Antiques

8 – Wood Picture Frames

7 – Knobs and Handles

6 – Linen Samplers

My next question is: So what?

What good is this information to someone getting started on eBay or someone who’s looking to add another product to their mix? The obvious answer is that it helps people source. If you know what kinds of goods are selling then you can go find it at low prices and then turn a buck.

However, if these are the top 10 best sellers, then that also means these categories are the most competitive. So anyone selling these kinds of goods has to be better than the next guy to compete and make a living at it on eBay. They need better 1) prices, 2) merchandise, 3) product positioning, 4) persuasive techniques, 5) customer service or 6) visual presentation practices. One or more of those factors has to be working in their favor.

It’s not as simple as a top 10 list. During the Gold Rush in California, the slower types from around the world thought to themselves — “Hey, there’s gold somewhere near Sacramento. All I need is a ticket to California and a shovel, and I’ll strike it rich.” But, they really needed specialized skills to be successful — skills like land rights negotiation, panning and sluicing, land management, process efficiency, geographical analysis, and people skills.